Track pilot for road and rail cars



March 31,1942. e. 'r. RONK TRACK PILOT FOR R AD A ND RAIL CARS Filed 001;. 1, 1938 3. Sheets-Sheet 1 MW iw Q m Mmh 31, 1942.. "G, T. RONK' TRACK PILOT FOR ROAD AND RAIL CARS 7 Filed Oct. 1, 193a S'Shets-Sheet 2 March 31, 1942. G. T. RO NK 2,217,780

TRACK PILOT FOR ROAD AND RAIL CARS Filed Oct. 1 19.38 3 Sheets-Shet 3 Patented Mar. 31, 1942 STATES ATT 4 Claims.

This invention relates to cars which may be used either on the railway in trains or on the highway either as separate units or in trailer trains. It is an improvement in that type of road and rail cars which have railway wheels on one end of the car for railway use and highway wheels on the other end of said car for highway use, as shown in my co-pending applications No. 701,141 filed December 6, 1933; No. 109,488, filed November 6, 1936; and in my issued Patent No. 2,138,043, dated November 29, 1938.

It is especially applicable to that type of road and rail cars which have railway wheels on one end for railway use and highway wheels on the other end for highway use, wherein a car may be removed from the tracks of the railway and be operated over the highway as a semi-trailer by use of the highway wheels at one end; and wherein the car may be placed on the railway tracks with the end of the car mounting highway wheels adjacent the end of a similar car mounted with railway wheels, and be coupled thereto in such a manner that the said highway wheels of the first said car will follow the arc of the track followed by the said railway wheels of the said second car.

The object of the invention is to provide a light, inexpensive and simple means whereby the highway wheels of a road and railcar may be guided to roll on the tracks of the railway while the car is in motion, or to stand firmly thereon, during switching and loading operations on said tracks, when said car is uncoupled from a train.

It is a further object to provide a supplementary means for guiding said highway wheels torun on the rails when the means supporting one end of the car in articulation is in bad order.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a road and railway car having railway wheels, means which I shall term a carrier at one end for supporting a portion of the weight of the adjacent end of another car by means of what I shall term rider means and highway wheels for supporting a portion of the weight of the last named end of the car, and means to facilitate the spotting of the rider means of one car with the carrier means of an adjacent car when in the process of coupling.

It is a further object to provide means for guiding the said highway Wheels to run on the track when said road and rail car with special carrier and rider means is attached to a dissimilar car, or to a standard railway car, or other mobil unit.

It is a further object to provide a pilot means for guiding said highway wheels to run on the tracks and to follow the arc thereof, when said car is uncoupled from a train in a flying switch.

It is a further object to provide an automatically operated means for lifting said pilot from contact with the rails, when said car is coupled in a train of cars, and for automatically dropping said pilot into working position, when said car is uncoupled, whether it be standing or in motion at the time of uncoupling.

It is a further object to provide means for manually dropping said pilot means at the will of the trainman and for manually locking said pilot means out of working position, when said car is removed from the tracks to be used as a highway trailer.

Further objects will be evident in the specifications and will be more fully set forth in the claims which follow.

' My invention consists of the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of one end of a car supported by railway wheels and a portion of the opposite end of an adjoining car supported by highway wheels not shown, and the manner in which the adjoining cars are coupled together.

Figure 2 is a segmental top plan View of Figure 1 with a portion of the frame being broken away and a portion in horizontal section.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the adjacent ends of two road and railway cars at the beginning of the coupling operation to connect the cars together in articulation, showing in dotted lines the lever which controls the automatic workings of th pilot and wheels in the position said lever would assume at the time the two cars are uncoupled.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of two railway cars coupled in articulation with the auxiliary guiding means in operative position on the uncoupled end having highway wheels, to prevent the highway Wheels from sliding off of their supporting rails. My improved car for the use of track pilot comprises a frame It] on which any kind of body may be mounted, said frame having central and parallel sills i i extending from one end to the other, to which the coupling and guiding mechanism may be attached.

Near one end of the frame It) I have provided a railway gear I2, including pedestals l3, axles l4 and railway wheels I 5 having flanges IS. The frame In is yieldably supported on the axles l4 in the usual manner. The opposite end of the frame I is provided with a highway gear, including an axle l8, and wheels l9 carried thereby, said wheels having preferably rubber or pneumatic tires 23, said end of the frame I!) being carried by springs 2 I.

At the end of the frame I I] provided with a railway gear is what I shall term a carrier guide device 22, and at the opposite end of the frame I0 I have provided what I shall term a rider guide device 23. The carrier guide comprises pairs of vertical members 22a spaced apart, each pair of members 22a mounting an upper roller 24 and a lower roller 25 by means of pins 28, with an intervening space between the said upper and lower rollers to acccommodate the guide horns 23a of the rider guide of the adjacent similar car.

While another construction provides that these rollers 24 shall be coned to limit the side play of the coupler pivot, such as illustrated in Figures 2 and of my issued Patent No. 2,138,043, in the construction here shown the rollers are cylinders, being guided in their side motion by the vertical members 22a which are beveled at the space between the said upper and lower rollers to allow pivoting on curves of the track. Slots 2! are provided in said vertical members 22a to allow the free end of said horns 23a. to make a limited arc in the process of going around a curved track.

Hinged to said vertical members 2211. by the lower roller pins 28 I have provided a fifth wheel upper section 38 to mount on the fifth wheel lower section of a tractor truck by the coupling pin 29 or some other standard coupling device. The said fifth wheel section 30 has inclined runways 33a. mounted on each side of its top surface, and flanged edges 3| whereby it may act as a guide and spotting device in mounting the riders or horns 230. on the rider guide device 23. The said fifth wheel section 30 is hinged to the said carrier guide device in order that it may be dropped to a vertical position to be out of the way when the end of the car mounting the said railway wheels is coupled to a standard car having coupling dissimilar to that of the above described car. While the coupler shown in the illustration is not in itself a part of the invention, it is shown with a standard contour capable of coupling in the standard car coupler and operates on the same principle as a standard coupler. However, it must be of special dimensions with less than the standard depth to work properly within the devices claimed. By dropping the fifth wheel section out of the way, the depth of the coupler becomes immaterial and my special car may be drawn by a standard prime mover. This is a matter of great economy, as it obviates the provision of special types of prime movers, for drawing trains of said rail and highway cars on the tracks.

For locking the said section 30 in either of two positions I have provided a simple locking device 32 which is mounted on either or both ends of a shaft 33 mounted in the top portions of the members 22a. The shaft is rocked in a single direction, Each of the latches 32 is attached to a control counterclockwise, by a spring 34.

arm 35 for manual use. It will be seen that by moving the latches 32 against the tension of the spring 34 out of engagement with the levers 36, which are a part of the fifth wheel section 30, said levers will be released, allowing the fifth wheel section to swing down by gravity and the levers 35 to move up till the notches 31 in their outer ends strike the upper roller pins 28. Meanwhile, the locking devices 32 will have moved upward, actuated by the spring 34 until stopped by the pin 39. In this position said latches will engage the under surface of the levers 33 and hold the fifth wheel section 30 against swaying and swinging while the train is in motion. To release the section 30 one of the control levers 35 is pressed down against the tension of the spring 34 and the section 30 can then be swung upward manually where it will automatically latch in the horizontal position. Thus in the device described I have invented a simple two way latch which works automatically in latching and is released manually.

The rider comprises a frame member 411) to which the horns 23a are attached, said horns being spaced apart and adapted to enter between corresponding rollers 24 and 25, and having their upper and lower surfaces parallel and horizontal. In cross section the horns have substantially the shape of an inverted U to form a longitudinal groove for receiving the lever 40, said lever being mounted on a shaft 42a which is provided with an upwardly projected arm 6| to which one end of a rod 42 is connected, said rod having its other end pivotally connected to the upper end of a lever 43, which in turn is mounted on and fixed to a shaft 44. The rod 42 is provided with a spring 4| having one end against the arm 6! and the other against a bracket 4|a for yieldably'holding the free end of the lever 40 down, said free end being bent up to form a runner 40a for engaging the plate 30a at the time the coupling takes place to lower the latch 45a in a manner hereinafter set forth. The shaft 44 is provided with an arm 45, to which links 46 are connected for controlling and operating a latch device 45a carried by one end of a spring 41a, the other end of said spring being connected to the frame In.

Supported to and between the frame members If 'I have provided what I shall term a pilot frame 4?, said frame being mounted on rollers 48 to move longitudinally on the main frame, said rollers 48 being mounted to travel in grooves 49 in plates 56 fixed to the members II. The outer end of the frame 4'! is provided with vertical rollers 5! adapted to engage the inner edge of the section 30 for moving the frame 41 inwardly as coupling operation of the carrier and rider takes place.

Mounted on the axle [8 are brackets 52 pivotally supporting one edge of a frame 53 comprising side members 54 and braces 55, the outer edge of the frame 53 supporting the axle 5B, the ends of which are provided with pilot wheels 51 adapted to be moved into and out of contact with the rails 58. The shaft 55 is provided with upwardly extendng links 59 having their upper ends connected to the frame 4'! by means of a shaft 6|] extending through the slots 49; By this arrangement it will be seen that longitudinal movement of the frame 47 will cause the wheels 51 to be elevated or lowered, said frame 41 being locked to its inner position of movement by means of the latch 45a engaging the block 62 carried by the frame 41, thus supporting the axle 56 in an elevated position by means of the links 59.

The braces 54 are hinged to brackets 54a which are rotatably mounted on the axle 56 and also pivoted to the braces 55 at the points 55a. The links 59 are pivotally mounted to bearings 59a to allow for adjustment of the frame 53 due to the unequal inflation of the tires 20.

Connected to one end of the shaft 44 is a lever 63 having a hand-piece 64. This provides means whereby an operator'may manually drop the pilot wheels 51 into operative relation with the rails 58 at any time that he so desires, by pressing the free end of the lever 63 downwardly to rock the shaft 64, and in turn elevate the links 46 and the latch device 45a by the free movement of the rod in the end of the arm 6|.

A lever 65 is pivotally mounted on one of the members I! having its inner end connected to one end of a link 66, the other end of said link being connected to the frame 4'! (see Figs. 3 and 4), thus providing means for manually elevating the pilot wheels 51 by moving the free end of the lever 65 to the left, which in turn will move the link 56 and the frame 41 to the right and thus elevate the wheels being retained in said elevated position, as shown in Figure l, by the latch 45a, thus providing means whereby the wheels 51 may be manually elevated out of contact with the rails 58.

It sometimes is desired to operate the car on the highway with the end supporting the railway wheels elevated in articulation to form a semitrailer, in which case the entire weight of the corresponding end of the frame I is carried by the springs 2|, causing said springs to sag a greater distance than would be the case of a portion of the weight of the end having highway wheels was carried by the rider element. For that reason it is desired to increase the amount of the elevation of the wheels 51,which may be easily accomplished by operating the lever 65 to a greater amount of movement toward the left, allowing the wheels 48 to move from their position, as illustrated in Figure 1, to the inner end of the slot 49. The frame 41 is locked in the last position by the lever 65 engaging a lug 61 formed on one of the frame members ll. Thus, means is provided for manually controlling the pilot so that the pilot wheels may be moved into and out of engagement with the rails 58 at any time desired by the operator, so that means is always provided for retaining the highway wheels on the railway tracks, regardless of whether or not th rail and highway car is connected into a train or simply standing on the side track for being manipulated in switching operations.

It will further be seen that I have provided means wherein the pilot is automatically controlled by coupling and uncoupling of two cars in articulation. In the drawings the pilot wheels are illustrated as being locked out of contact with the rails 58 with the ends of two adjacent cars coupled together and with the frame 4'! locked at its inner limit of movement by the latch 4511.. As soon as the standard car couplers are released and the cars are separated, then the horns 23a will be withdrawn from between the rollers 24 and 25, at which time the lever 40 will move to its lowered position due to its weight and also due to the tension of the spring 4|. This will cause the latch 45a to be elevated and the frame 41 to be released, permitting the wheels to engage the rails 58, thus providing means for automatically causing the pilot wheels to engage the railway wheels. This is. accom-' plished even if the cars are accidentally separated, inasmuch as the automatic latches operate independently of the coupling elements.

The drawings illustrate the flanged wheels as being used for pilot means. However, it will readily be seen that flange shoes or other guide devices might be substituted for these flanged wheels without departing from the spirit of my invention.

While in one conception of my invention the pilot means may be of such sturdy construction as to maintain the highway wheels on top of the rail without carrier and ridermeansfor guiding said highway wheels, in the preferred conception the pilot means is designed for supplemental use in guiding said highway wheels, and is automatically raised when the primary carrier and rider means are in operative relation.

This conception is preferred because it admits of a much lighter and cheaper construction than would be possible for a pilot means that functioned continually in maintaining the highway wheels on the track. It is desirable to avoid great weight in the pilot means because the means must be lifted when the car is moved to the highway and operated as a semi-trailer; great weight would make this lifting operation a serious one, besides the economic loss due to the lessened pay load. Also the great and continuous speed and thrust would require a much sturdier construction of the axle bearing of the pilot wheels, than is required by the necessities of switching or an occasional emergency use of said pilot means when the normal guiding means is in bad order. Therefore, the invention includes automatic means for raising the pilot wheels when cars are coupled and dropping them when the cars are uncoupled. Thus the chance of a serious mishap is eliminated, when the human element is omitted from the process of dropping the wheels of the pilot when a flying switch is being made. Also the human element is lacking in removing the pilot from the tracks where it would undergo serious and unnecessary wear, while the train was travelling at high speed for long distances.

However, when the car is removed from the track by a tractor truck, the human element once more enters. The operator of the tractor has manual means for lifting the pilot a greater height than is required for railway operation. This is necessary due to the resilience of the highway tires under full load, and to the greater flexibility of highway springs as contrasted with railway springs, requiring greater clearance. An independent manual locking means is provided for this manual operation, the automatic means being automatically out of contact for this use, as is shown.

In this preferred construction it will be seen that the hinged fifth wheel section plays an important part. It has one function when operating as a fifth wheel on a highway tractor; it has another function when acting as an inclined guide in the coupling of the cars; it has a third function in actuating the automatic lifting of the pilot wheels 51. It will be seen that this fifth wheel need not be hinged, but may be integral with the carrier parts 22a. Hinging is preferred, because it adds to the range of usefulness. Other means may be used also to contact the rollers 5| when the cars are being moved together. By standardizing the height of cars the horns 23a may be guided between the rollers 24 and 25 without th inclined surfaces on the fifth wheel section because the use of the pilot wheels 51 will invariably spot the cars in coupling. In the case of breakage of the fifth wheel 30, the cars could still be coupled and service maintained on the rails, by virtue of the use of the pilot means here shown. The preferred use is here shown because it shows the greater range of usefulness and thus the greater economy of the various forms of my invention.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a simple and supplementary guiding means to extend the range of the guiding means provided by my carrier guiding means and my rider guiding means. It will be seen that thereby I have been able to speed up the time of coupling and uncoupling cars, and to eliminate the lag in the spotting of cars for coupling. Also I have been able to expedite the handling of cars by providing means for making flying switches with a car, only one end of which is provided with railway wheels. I have provided a supplementary means for guiding highway wheels to run on rail when the regular means is in bad order. I have provided a means for maintaining the highway wheels on top of the tracks when the train is cut adjacent the highway wheels, and the regular guiding means are not available. By providing for the automatic and manual lifting of the pilot wheels out of operative contact with the rails when not needed, light and expensive pilot means may be used, which would not be possible were the pilot means not so removable.

It will be seen that pilot mean in constant operation would add greatly to the cost of maintenance, and would require a weight and sturdimess that would be uneconomical when the cars were taken from the rails to operate on the highways; moreover, the greater required weight would require power means to lift the pilot wheels OK the highway.

I claim a my invention:

1. In a pair of road and rails cars, railway wheels mounted at one end of each of said cars for railway use, highway wheels mounted at the other end of each of said cars for highway use, means mounting said cars together in articulation, pilot wheels carried by the end of said car mounting said highway wheels for guiding said highway wheels when on rails, by being moved into contact with said rails, means actuated b uncoupling and coupling said cars for lowering and elevating respectively said wheels into and out of contact with said rails, said means comprising a frame slidably mounted in the ends of said cars mounting highway Wheels, an axle supporting said pilot wheels, links extending downwardly and forwardly from said slidable frame, operatively connecting said axle to said frame, links extending upwardly and rearwardly from said axle, connecting said axle to the gear supporting said highway wheels, the first and second set of links being in diverging planes whereby movement of said frame rearwardly will elevate the said pilot wheels, means latching said frame to its rearward position of movement, means carried by the adjacent end of an adjoining car and adapted to be engaged by said slidably mounted frame to move said frame rearwardly to its latching position of movement as the cars are coupled together, and mean for releasing said latching means.

2. In a road and rail car, with railway wheels on one end for railway use, and highway wheels on the other end for highway use, a pilot for steering the end of said car having highway wheels, by engagement with a railway rail, means mounting said pilot on said car for movement into and out of operative relation with said rail, movably mounted means carried by said car for elevating said pilot means out of engagement with said rails, said means being actuated by the coupling movement of said car to another car, means for latching said pilot in an elevated inoperative position, and means actuated by uncoupling movement of said car from another car for causing said latching means to be actuated to release said pilot and permit it to move to operative position by gravity.

3. In a road and railway car provided with railway wheels at one end for railway use, and highway wheels on the other end for highway use, means for coupling said car in a train, with both the highway and railway wheels travelling on railway tracks, pilot means movably mounted on the end of the car mounting highway wheels to be moved into and out of engagement with said railway rails, for guiding said car thereon, means carried by said car for latching said pilot means out of engagement with said rails when said car is coupled in said train, and movably mounted means carried by said car for releasing said latching means to permit said pilot to move to operative position by gravity, the last said means being actuated by engagement with another car being moved to coupling position to said car.

4. In a pair of road and rail cars, railway wheels mounted at one end of each of said cars for railway use, highway wheels mounted at the other end of each of said cars for highway use, means mounting said cars together in articulation, pilot wheels carried by the end of said car mounting said highway wheels for guiding said highway wheels when on rails, after being moved into contact with said. rails, means actuated by uncoupling and coupling said cars for lowering and elevating respectively said wheels into and out of contact with said rails, said means comprising a frame slidably mounted in the ends of said cars mounting highway wheels, an axle supporting said pilot wheels, means operatively connecting said axle to said frame to raise said axle with the pilot wheels out of engagement with said rails as the frame is moved in one direction, and to lower said axle with the wheels in engagement with said rails as the frame is moved in the opposite direction, means actuated by coupling movement of said cars for moving said frame to elevate said axle, means for latching said frame in the last said position, and means actuated by uncoupling movement of said cars for releasing said latching means from said name, for the purpose stated.

GEORGE T. RONK. 

